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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — the time now
  5. wake — a trail
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — there
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — for golf
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. key — in music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com